Roast Pork and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich (Philly’s DiNic’s knock-off)
There is a legendary sandwich located in Philly at the Reading Terminal Market. No, it isn’t a cheesesteak. This sandwich has been featured on many food travel shows, Good Morning America, etc, and is recognized as the best sandwich in America. In that market is a small food stall named DiNic’s. DiNic’s have perfected the Italian classic roast pork with broccoli rabe sandwich. I have had the opportunity to eat this monstrosity of porky love on 2 occasions; most recently in September 2021 with my homies Brian and Aaron during the Decibel Magazine beer and Metalfest. It is that good. No fucking joke. I look forward to eating this sandwich more than the festival. And now I’ve taken it upon myself to learn how to make this epic sandwich.DiNic’s uses pork shoulder instead of pork loin. Usually when you think of pork shoulder, you think of shredded pulled pork. But this is sliced. The key to this roast pork is to only cook it to 180 degrees internal temperature. It will be sliceable. If you cook it past 200 degrees internal temp, it will fall apart and shred like pulled pork. Quite honestly, that way is good too, but if you want your sandwich to be like DiNic’s, it needs to be sliced. If you happen to have a deli slicer like me, slice that pork as thin as possible. Or you can use a carving knife. The pork gets added back into the juices it cooked in for more flavor and moistness.Broccoli rabe is a bitter green in season during the Fall. It is finely chopped, stems and all, and sautéed in olive oil with garlic and crushed red pepper. The bitterness of the greens balances out the richness of the pork. If you can’t find broccoli rabe, mustard and turnip green are a suitable replacement. I’ve tried all 3 and they’re all pretty close in flavor in this preparation. I think my roast pork and broccoli rabe turned out really close to DiNic’s. There is one thing that sets their sandwich apart from mine, and that is their bread. It has the perfect level of chewiness that soaks up the pork juices without it being a sloppy mess. I recommend using as crusty of a hoagie roll as possible. Anything that is too light won’t be able to handle the moisture from the fillings.
Equipment
- twine
- roasting pan with rack
- meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds ground
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 20 garlic cloves minced
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- olive oil
- 4 cups pork stock
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 15 oz canned tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
Broccoli Rabe
- 2 bunches broccoli rabe washed; finely chopped (can substitute mustard or turnip greens)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
Sandwich
- Italian hoagie buns
- provolone cheese 2 slices per sandwich
- pepperoncinis peppers sliced
Instructions
- Tightly tie your pork shoulder.
- Mix together all of the dried seasonings.
- Make a bed of onions in the bottom of a large bowl. Rub the pork shoulder with the dry rub, minced garlic cloves, parsley, and olive oil. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator
- Let rest at room temperature for 2 hours before roasting. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place the pork shoulder on a rack on a roasting pan. Save the onions and any other drippings from the bowl. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Mix together the stock, red wine, canned tomatoes, and bay leaves with the saved bowl of onions. Pour that into the roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil and roast for another 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and roast for 2 hours.
- Remove the rack from the roasting pan. Place the pork shoulder in the juices. Cover with the foil and roast for another 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees with a meat thermometer.
- Let the pork rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Save the reserved juices in the roasting pan.
- Remove the twine. Thinly slice the pork shoulder.
- Place the pork back in the pan of juices.
Broccoli Rabe
- Heat up the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the garlic and crushed red pepper for 1 minute.
- Add in the broccoli rabe. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Sauté for 10 minutes until the stems are tender.
Sandwich Assembly
- Toast your bun in the oven for a couple of minutes. Slice open and place the slices of provolone across the inside.
- Place a couple of scoops of the broccoli rabe on one side of the hoagie bun. Then layer the slices of pork on the other side. Spoon over some of the juices if you like your sandwich wet.
